Switch-base.



PATENTED MAY 19, 1908.

w. R. ATKINSON.

F SWITCH BASE. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 16, 1906.

INVENTOR d 3 WilliamRAt/finsorv;

ATTORNEYS- WILLIAM R. ATKINSON. OF NEW YORK, Y.

SWITCH-BASE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented mayie, 1908.

Application filed August 16, 1906. Serial No. 330,981.

To all whd'm'tt may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM R. ATKIN- SON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at New York, in the county of New York, State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in ElectricalSwitch-Bases, of which the following is a specification, such as willenable those s 'illed in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

Mv improvement comprises a switch base block to which the ordinaryelectric switch box may be applied, and the object thereof 1s to providean improved device of this class designed particularly for use inconnection with molding strips to which the electric wires or conductorsare secured, and especially where said molding strips are used on or ina limited space as on door frames, window frames and other wood work oft is class; a further object being to provide a switch base block which.will give a finished appearance to work of this class and insulate theswitch or switch base from the wood Work.

My improvement is particularly designed for use in connection with whatis known as a switch or switch of t rotary snap type, and in? describedin the followlng specification of v; ich the accompanying drawing formsa part, in which:

' Figure l is a front view showing my improved switch base block, aswitch connected therewith and .shewin'g also two pieces of molding withthe electric wires, cables or conductors connected therewith, the saidmoldings being provided with a covenand part of the construction beingbroken away, Fig. 2 a sideview of the device as shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3a transverse section of my improved switch base block on the line 33 ofFig. 4, and Fig. 4 a perspective view of said block.

In the drawing forming part of this s eci fication I have shown at a twomo ding strips of the kind usually employed in work of the class hereinreferred to, and said molding strips are grooves 11 in whic the wires orconductors b are placed. 1 have also shown at can ordinary switch box ofthe two wire rotary snap tion, I provide a switch box base or block cl,one end of which is preferably semi-cir cular in form as shown at 2and'the other end straight as shown at d and the transverse twowirerovided with longitudinal type, and in the practice of my invenwidthof the straight end (1 is exactly the same as the width of the moldingstrl s a. The block d is rovided with a centra circular chamber 3 in thefront thereof around which is a circular groove (I and the op 0- siteendportions of said block are PI'OVl edwith radially and inwardlydirected projections d which extend into said chamber and are providedwith screw holes d, and in practice screws 6 are employed to secure theswitch box 0 to the block (1, said screws being passed into the screwholes d, and when the switch box 0 is secured to the block (2 in thismanner the perimeter thereof fits in the groove d. The block (1 is alsorovided in the end thereof with longitudinally-- arranged grooves orpassages f which correspond with the grooves a in the molding stripsandregister therewith, and in ractice the wires 6 are passed into thelock (1 through the grooves of assages f and are connected with theswitc apparatus in the switch box 0 in the usual manner, the ends of oneof said wires bein shown in full lines at b and the others oeingindicated in dotted lines.

it will be seen that the back of the block (1 is solid, the chamber dand the grooves or passages f being so'formed as not to pass throughsaid back, and in this way the switch and all the parts connectedtherewith are insulated from the wood work to which it is or may beattached.

The block cl may be composed of porcelain or any other insulatingmaterial, and by employing my improvement for making electricalconnections of the class .described the danger of fire is largelyobviated, and my said improvement is .particularly applicable where apair of feed wires come to a point where a switch is located to controla group of electric lights and the molding carrying the return wires isplaced close to the feeders, and also where it is desired to permit oftwo to be placed side by side as is sometimes the case where themoldings have to be placed on narrow casings, window frames or otherfinishings, but my im rovement is not limited to any special use tiereof, and the same may be employed wherever found to be applicable.Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters iatent is Anelectric switch base block designed foruse in connection with molding strips having lines of molding carryingelectric light wires:

longitudinal grooves, said block being prowalls of said chamber beingalso provided at vided with a circular chamber formed in one oppositesides thereof with inwardly directed side thereof and with one straightend, the niembers arranged parallel with said grooves transversedimensions of which are the same or passages and which serve as=-securing 5 as the transverse dimensions of the molding means.

strips said block being also provided in the straight; end portionthereof with parallel WILLIAM ATKINSON grooves or passages communicatingwith Witnesses:

said chamber, and adapted to register with GEORGE J STRICKER, 10 thegrooves 1n the molding strips, the inner J osnrn MARTIN.

